For $2.8 million, this Parade of Homes entry more than delivers as a 'vacation home'

FENNVILLE, MI – “This is a vacation home so we don’t have huge bedrooms,” says Cottage Home president Brian Bosgraaf as he conducts a tour of his 2012 Fall Parade of Homes entry.

The truth is, most of us would be happy to spend all of our days in the six-bedroom beach house overlooking Lake Michigan. The challenge is coming up with the $2.8 million asking price for this fully furnished slice of heaven at 1884 Lakeshore Dr.

Cottage Home, which specializes in building half a dozen or so lakefront homes a year, has created a woodland haven that combines the style of an old-fashioned lakefront cottage with the latest amenities.

IF YOU GO: The 2012 Fall Parade of Homes is open today from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. Parade homes also will be open for viewing from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. next Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. Tickets may be purchased online at paradeofhomesmi.com, at Lake Michigan Credit Union branches and at the homes.

Visitors are introduced by driving slowly down a one-lane blacktop path that winds through a Land Conservancy nature preserve for half a mile before the house and the lake come into view.

Clad in cedar shake shingles and absent the three-stall garage that’s standard on most luxury homes, the beach house does not shout, “I’m rich, rich, rich!”

But the details murmur softly, “You’re rich, rich, rich.”

For example, look at the kitchen, where a giant slab of polished granite includes the sink and informal seating for five. The oven is tucked away in the pantry because, “in a lake house, people just don’t cook that often,” Bosgraaf says.

While the chandeliered dining area features a formal setting for eight, the ambiance is more informal on the porch, where a long table made of recycled barnwood can handle a crowd of 12.

The porch, which also includes a comfy seating area around a stone fireplace, could be used year-round thanks to its heated floors and insulated glass.

“We’ve been finding that you can never build a porch too big because everyone wants to hang out on it,” Bosgraaf says. “The only thing it doesn’t have is air conditioning. That’s kind of an unwritten rule.”

Being a vacation home, Bosgraaf explains the place has to be comfortable for just two and be up to handling a weekend gang of family and grandchildren.

The bedrooms may be smaller than most million-dollar homes, they do not lack for amenities. The master suite includes a walk-in tiled shower. The other bedrooms range from full suites to a bunkroom that can handle a four-kid sleep-over.

Above in a separate wing above the garage, there’s a private office overlooking the lake and a game room designed to accommodate a separate party crowd.

While many lakefront homes can be drafty affairs, this one is tight and energy efficient, earning the highest-level LEED-platinum certification, Bosgraaf says.